Wuhan (September 8th-11th)

Next my brother and I headed to Wuhan so that he could see the city that for the last ten months has been my home. Ten minutes into the twelve hour bus ride, the bus broke down. We waited outside in the stifling heat, playing cards while we watched the driver tinker with the bus. It was the first time I had taken a sleeper bus (a bus with tiny bobsled-like beds so that the passengers can sleep.) Even after getting it started again, it was less than comfortable and we were woken in the middle of the night by a rough shake and a booming voice saying, “Wuhan”.

The next couple of days, Dan got to see the full Wuhan experience.

1) We went out with my friends, Dan and Chen jammed together on the guitar. Dan kept asking me if Chen was gay because he kept touching his leg. In China, the men don’t have the same qualms with touching each others’ legs that men in the west do. That was something Dan had trouble getting used to. Chen on the other hand, finds the squeamishness of western men hilarious and gets a real kick out of teasing them.

2) We got stuck for two hours in traffic because all of the traffic lights in my district went out and I felt like I was going to be sick from the exhaust spilling into the windows of the crowded bus. Dan decides he much prefers to ride Josh’s scooter and skirt through traffic.

3) We experienced local culture. Nowhere else on our trip had people stared at us as much as in Wuhan. And on one occasion when I asked a couple of university girls for directions in Chinese I heard them exclaim “wow!!!!” to each other when we parted ways. And of course no trip to Wuhan would be complete without seeing some dirty old man masturbate in public (now something I have seen quite a few times). Dan and I saw him using his briefcase as a shield while he had his way with himself by the bus stop.

4) And we spent relaxing time together getting veggie burgers at Helen’s and watching pirated dvds in my apartment. Good times🙂